Machine Building

Robot wars: automation leaders and robot laggards

David Jahn, director at automation company Brillopak, believes that using terminology interchangeably, particularly robotics, AI and automation, is part of the reason why UK food factories have dodged making big investments, particularly at the end of line packaging and case loading lines. But with the EU labour crisis continuing to plague UK fresh produce houses, David says now is the time to get back to basics and review the entire productivity picture and how automation, not just robots, will align to and support long-term strategies.

8th October 2018

Augmented reality and the benefits for manufacturing companies

The first developments of augmented reality (AR) technology came in 1968, when computer scientist Ivan Sutherland created an AR head-mounted display that superimposed virtual information onto the physical environment. While AR is becoming increasingly popular in popular culture, how does the world of manufacturing keep up with the opportunities available to them? Here, Nick Boughton, digital lead at systems integrator Boulting Technology, examines how AR can be used across the manufacturing industry.

8th October 2018

Preventing downtime, raising productivity in pharma production

The age of the blockbuster drug is over. The last remnants of this golden age of pharmaceuticals are slowly coming out of IP protection and being mass produced by a large range of companies. As a new day dawns on the pharmaceutical industry, Gayle Walker, operations manager at Novotek UK & Ireland, explains what pharmaceutical companies can do to prevent unnecessary downtime in production and raise production efficiency.

8th October 2018

Time for machine builders to innovate with material selection

Machine builders are continually innovating but one area that is ripe for innovation is material selection. This article explores some of the opportunities available.

6th October 2018

Developing a safety strategy for industrial environments

According to research by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), manufacturing is statistically one of the highest risk industrial sectors to work in. With more than 3000 major injuries and nine fatalities occurring every year in the UK, can more be done to protect the health and safety of those working in industrial environments? Here, Jonathan Wilkins, marketing director of industrial obsolete parts supplier, EU Automation, explains what goes into making a workplace safety strategy.

4th October 2018

Thermal transfer or thermal inkjet coding? Time for change?

Richard Pether, Director of Rotech Machines, believes TIJ (thermal inkjet) is challenging TT (thermal transfer) as the coding technology of choice for many web-based applications.

29th September 2018

On-board artificial intelligence for machines and automation

Artificial intelligence (AI) offers significant benefits for machine builders and end users but this usually involves large volumes of data and cloud computing. However, as this article explains, multicore processing means that machines can have AI onboard, so data can be collected and actions taken in real time.

29th September 2018

How long until we are talking to robots?

Neal Welch, Mitsubishi Electric Business Manager for Life Science, explores how we interact with collaborative robots and how long it will be until voice activation becomes commonplace.

27th September 2018

Constant force, constant torque, constant load springs

The Lee Spring extension type of constant force spring represents the most basic, yet most versatile, type of constant force spring. It is a pre-stressed flat strip of spring material which is formed into a virtually constant radius coils around itself or on a drum. When the strip is extended (deflected) the inherent stress resists the loading force, the same as a common extension spring, but at a nearly constant (zero) rate. A constant torque is obtained when the outer end of the spring is attached to another spool and caused to wind in either the reverse or same direction as it is originally wound.

27th September 2018